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Does Your Dog Trust You?

c Diane Rich 2014One would like to think yes, of course he does. Then you think about the question and wonder how to tell if your dog actually does trust you.

Blind Trust
A pup will usually blindly trust a human who provides food, warmth and love. That trust can change based on the dog’s perception of its people and environment. One day you may observe the family dog looking at you a little suspiciously, maybe even cowering or running away from you or escaping under furniture. Trust can be undermined when humans behave in a threatening manner, demand or expect behavior that is unrealistic for the dog’s skill level or experience or is just plain confusing for that dog. An example could be calling the dog, the dog does not respond quickly enough and when she finally does come over the human yells at or physically corrects the dog. Another example could if be the dog has an accident in the house and the owner grabs the dog and sticks the dog’s face in the pee or poo yelling at the dog or possibly smacking it. After these scenarios, kiss the trust goodbye.

Is The Temperament Evaluation Correct?
A dog may be evaluated as shy, standoffish or unaffectionate when it possibly just does not trust a family member. If a dog has been abused or isolated the dog may present one or more behaviors under the umbrella of distrust until someone chooses to take the time to prove to the dog they can be trusted. Just because a dog performs tricks and obedience for a treat does not mean the dog totally trusts a family member.

Forgiveness
One of the many great gifts dogs bring to our lives due to thousands of years of living with humans is their ability and in most cases desire to trust us, forgive us and give us chances to get it right. Once trust is earned and maintained, a dog will reward his or her person with what pet parents crave from the furry family member, unconditional love

Since The Beginning
I had a radio show about pets on Seattle’s KVI and my sign off was; “connect with your pet in a positive way by earning their trust and respect.” This is just one of many training philosophies I practice and have felt important to teach my clients since I began working with dogs and their people over 25 years ago. A dog’s trust for any family member doesn’t come with the sales receipt or a dog treat.

c Diane Rich 2014

10 Interactions That Can Undermine A Dog’s Trust In A Family Member1. Teasing the dog

2. Inconsistency such as allowing canine behaviors some of the time then correcting the dog for those same behaviors at other times

3. Tricking the dog by throwing a cookie into the crate then closing that door or trying to leave the house and throwing a cookie into a hallway or room, backing out of the house for a quick exit so the dog doesn’t bolt out the door

4. Pulling your leashed dog over to strangers or other dogs to “say hi.” Or holding the dog so that strangers can pet the dog

5. Playing rough with the dog and then reprimanding it for responding in like kind

6. Misunderstanding canine communication and correcting a dog for trying to let you know it is scared
or concerned around some stimuli

7. Misunderstanding dog behavior believing all behaviors stem from the dog trying to dominant a family member
then implementing physical punishment or screaming at the dog to prove you are the boss

8. Taking a young dog, nervous dog, anti-social dog to a dog park or day- care to “socialize” it

9. Trying to make the dog return all the love you provide to fulfill your emotional void

10. Expecting more from the family dog than it is either trained to do or ready to do

Trust is powerful and a must to build a foundation for the human-canine relationship.

Note: This is a seattlepi.com reader blog. It is not written or edited by the P-I. The authors are solely responsible for content. E-mail us at newmedia@seattlepi.com if you consider a post inappropriate.